Paint ball gun with compression zone liner

ABSTRACT

A paint ball gun having a breach, a compression zone and a gun barrel. The breach, the compression zone and the gun barrel cooperate to form a continuous, smooth path for the pneumatic ejection of paint balls from the paint ball gun. The compression zone comprises a bore in communication with the breach portion and a removable tubular liner disposed within the bore. The liner is readily interchangeable with other liners of slightly differing internal diameter to allow the user to match the diameter of the compression zone with the diameter of the user&#39;s paint ball ammunition.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates generally to paint ball guns and, more particularly, to gun barrels suitable for paint ball guns.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The use of paint ball guns has become a very popular recreational sport. Paint ball gun competitions are generally very competitive, demanding paint ball guns capable of high efficiency and high performance.

[0003] Paint ball guns are almost universally made to propel a paint ball having an external diameter between about 0.675 inches and about 0.695 inches using a source of compressed gas, such as carbon dioxide. In the operation of a typical paint ball gun, a paint ball is deposited into the compression zone portion of the gun barrel. Thereafter, when the trigger is pulled, a short blast of compressed gas propels the paint ball through the compression zone portion and out the muzzle portion. It is important in the performance of paint ball guns that the internal diameter of the compression zone portion closely matches the external diameter of the paint ball ammunition. The internal diameter of the compression zone portion should be within about 0.002 inches of the external diameter of paint ball ammunition. Smaller diameters will tend to cause the paint ball to break up within the compression zone portion or become lodged within the compression zone portion. Larger diameters will result in decreased projecting power (because an undue amount of compressed gas will leak around the outside of the paint ball).

[0004] A problem for the competitive paint ball gun user arises from the fact that the external diameter of the paint ball ammunition varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and even from production vats to production vats. Heretofore, there has been no known solution to this problem. Accordingly, there is a need for an inexpensive yet efficient combination which avoids this problem in the prior art.

SUMMARY

[0005] The invention satisfies this need. The invention is a pneumatic paint ball gun comprising (a) a gun body having a nose portion and a breach portion, the nose portion having a linear bore Which communicates with the breach portion, (b) a hollow, elongated gun barrel removably attached to the nose portion, the gun barrel being disposed coaxially with the linear bore, and (c) a removable, tubular liner disposed within the linear bore such that the breach, the liner and the gun barrel cooperate to form a smooth and continuous path for the pneumatic ejection of a paint ball from the paint ball gun.

[0006] The invention allows the user to select and use a liner whose inside diameter most optimally matches up with the external diameter of his or her paint ball ammunition.

DRAWINGS

[0007] These features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying figures where:

[0008]FIG. 1 is a side view in partial cross-section of a paint ball gun having features of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] The following discussion describes in detail one embodiment of the invention and several variations of that embodiment. This discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments. Practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well.

[0010] The invention is a paint ball gun 10. In the paint ball gun 10, a projectile, such as a paint ball, is contacted with a high pressure burst of compressed gas which propels the projectile out of a gun barrel 12 towards the target. More specifically, when the gun 10 is fired, the high pressure gas causes the projectile to rapidly accelerate to a high velocity. In the first 4-8 inches of travel, the pressure experienced by the projectile is very high. As the projectile increases in velocity in this first 4-8 inches of travel, the high pressure is rapidly dissipated as the pressure energy is converted into the kinetic energy of the accelerating projectile. This first 4-8 inches of travel after the projectile is initially subjected to the burst of high pressure gas is referred to herein as the compression zone 14 of the gun 10.

[0011]FIG. 1 illustrates a typical paint ball gun 10. The gun 10 has a barrel 12 and a main body 18. The main body 18 includes an internal breach 19 and a trigger mechanism 20. A loading port 22 is disposed on the upper portion of the main body 18 which allows projectiles to be gravitated into the breach 19. Compressed gas from a compressed gas canister (not shown), which is commonly attached to the rear of the main body 18, provides compressed gas to the breach 19 via a short length of hose 24 and an internal gas conduit disposed within the foregrip 26. In a typical operation of the paint ball gun 12 illustrated in FIG. 1, a single projectile is gravitated into the breach 19 via the loading port 22, the gun 12 is aimed at a target, the trigger 28 is squeezed causing the release of high pressure gas from the canister to the breach 19 via the hose 24 and internal gas conduit. The burst of high pressure gas is directed into the breach 19 which propels the projectile through the compression zone 14, then through the gun barrel 12 and finally outwardly towards the target.

[0012] In the invention, the compression zone 14 is disposed within the main body 18 of the paint ball gun 10. In this regard, the compression zone 14 is provided by a linear bore 30 defined within the nose portion 32 of the main body 18. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the linear bore 30 communicates with the breach 19. A tubular liner 34 is nested within the linear bore 30. By “nested,” it is meant that the outside diameter of the tubular liner 34 essentially matches the diameter of the linear bore 30. The tubular liner 34 is, however, easily removed from the linear bore 30 by sliding the tubular liner 34 out of the open end 36 of the linear bore 30. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the tubular liner 34 has a forward end flange 38 which abuts a shoulder 40 defined within the linear bore 30.

[0013] The tubular liner 34 is firmly retained within the linear bore 30 by any of a variety of methods. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the tubular liner 34 is firmly retained within the linear bore 30 by the gun barrel 12. The gun barrel 12 is removably attached to the nose portion 40 of the main body 18 and is disposed coaxially with the linear bore 30. In the embodiment illustrated in the FIG. 1, the gun barrel 12 is threaded into the open end 36 of the linear bore 30. The breach 19, the tubular liner 34 and the gun barrel 12 cooperate to form a smooth and continuous path for the pneumatic ejection of a paint ball from the paint ball gun 10.

[0014] The tubular liner 34 has a circular cross-section with an inside diameter. In one embodiment, the invention comprises a paint ball gun kit comprising a paint ball gun 10 as described above and two or more removable tubular liners 34, each having a different inside diameter. Such a kit allows the user to choose a tubular liner 34 based upon the external diameter of the paint ball ammunition to be used. In this regard, the user selects a tubular liner 34 whose inside diameter is chosen to give the most optimum performance when used in the paint ball gun 10 with the selected paint ball ammunition. Usually, this means that the user will choose a tubular liner 34 having a diameter which is larger than the diameter of the paint ball ammunition but is within about 0.002 inches of the diameter of the paint ball ammunition.

[0015] Having thus described the invention, it should be apparent that numerous structural modifications and adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the scope and fair meaning of the instant invention as set forth hereinabove and as described hereinbelow by the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A pneumatic paint ball gun comprising: (a) a gun body having a nose portion and a breach portion, the nose portion having a linear bore which communicates with the breach portion; (b) a hollow, elongated gun barrel removably attached to the nose portion, the gun barrel being disposed coaxially with the linear bore; and (c) a removable, tubular liner disposed within the linear bore such that the breach, the liner and the gun barrel cooperate to form a smooth and continuous path for the pneumatic ejection of a paint ball from the paint ball gun.
 2. A pneumatic paint ball gun kit comprising: (a) a gun body having a nose portion and a breach portion, the nose portion having a linear bore which communicates with the breach portion, the linear bore having an internal diameter; (b) a hollow, elongated gun barrel which is attachable to the nose portion in such a way that the gun barrel is disposed coaxially with the linear bore; and (c) at least one tubular liner having an inside diameter and an outside diameter, the outside diameter of the at least one tubular liner being slightly less than the inside diameter of the linear bore such that the at least one tubular liner can nest within the linear bore; wherein the at least one tubular liner can be disposed within the linear bore and the gun barrel can be attached to the nose portion in such a way that the breach, the at least one tubular liner and the gun barrel cooperate to form a smooth and continuous path for the pneumatic ejection of a paint ball from the paint ball gun.
 3. The pneumatic paint ball gun kit of claim 2 wherein the at least one tubular liner comprises a plurality of tubular liners, each having a different inside diameter.
 4. A method for using a pneumatic paint ball comprising the steps of: (a) selecting a paint ball gun combination having: (i) a gun body with a nose portion and a breach portion, the nose portion having a linear bore which communicates with the breach portion; (ii) a hollow, elongated gun barrel removably attached to the nose portion, the gun barrel being disposed coaxially with the linear bore; (iii) a first removable, tubular liner nested within the linear bore such that the breach, the first liner and the gun barrel cooperate to form a smooth and continuous path for the pneumatic ejection of a paint ball from the paint ball gun, the first liner having a first inside diameter; (iv) a second tubular liner sized and dimensioned to nest within the liner bore in such a way that the breach, the second liner and the gun barrel cooperate to form a smooth and continuous path for the pneumatic ejection of a paint ball from the paint ball gun, the second liner having an inside diameter different from the inside diameter of the first liner; (b) selecting a plurality of paint balls for use as ammunition in the paint ball gun, each of the paint balls having an external diameter; (c) selecting either the first liner or the second liner for use in the gun based upon the external diameter of the paint balls, such selection being accomplished by either retaining the first liner within the gun or replacing the first liner with the second liner; and (d) pneumatically ejecting paint balls selected in step (b) from the breach portion, through the liner and selected in step (c) and out the gun barrel.
 5. A method for using a pneumatic paint ball comprising the steps of: (a) selecting a paint ball gun combination having: (i) a gun body with a nose portion and a breach portion, the nose portion having a linear bore which communicates with the breach portion; (ii) a hollow, elongated gun barrel removably attached to the nose portion, the gun barrel being disposed coaxially with the linear bore; (iii) a first removable, tubular liner sized and dimensioned to nest within the linear bore in such a way that the breach, the first liner and the gun barrel can cooperate to form a smooth and continuous path for the pneumatic ejection of a paint ball from the paint ball gun, the first liner having a first inside diameter; (iv) a second tubular liner sized and dimensioned to nest within the liner bore in such a way that the breach, the second liner and the gun barrel can cooperate to form a smooth and continuous path for the pneumatic ejection of a paint ball from the paint ball gun, the second liner having an inside diameter different from the inside diameter of the first liner; (b) selecting a plurality of paint balls for use as ammunition in the paint ball gun, each of the paint balls having an external diameter; (c) selecting either the first liner or the second liner for use in the gun based upon the external diameter of the paint balls, by either retaining the first liner within the gun or replacing the first liner with the second liner; (d) disposing the liner chosen in step (c) in the linear bore; and (e) pneumatically ejecting paint balls selected in step (b) from the breach portion, through the liner and selected in step (c) and out the gun barrel. 